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Ellsworth Community College

Public Iowa Falls, IA · Town · Plains · 87% data
B Affordability B- Value C Earnings
Graduation Rate
40% D
Lower completion rate than most colleges
Earnings (10yr)
$40,562 C
Roughly in line with national averages
Net Price
$11,451 B
33% less than the typical college
Enrollment
499
Earnings -1% vs avg
Graduation -30% vs avg
Net Price +-33% vs avg

Bottom line: A C overall grade — average outcomes for a U.S. college. 24.4× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $24.4 over 20 years.

24.4× return on investment

Every $1 spent returns $24.4 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $1,071,826.

What The Data Says

  1. A C overall — outcomes trail most U.S. colleges on measured metrics.

  2. Graduation of 40% — 30% below the national average.

  3. Every $1 invested returns $24.4 over 20 years — an exceptional return.

Why Ellsworth Community College Matters

Ellsworth Community College is a public community college in Iowa Falls, IA and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by a well-connected, high-opportunity alumni network. The result: measurable returns for the students it serves.

Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.

Institutional Profile

Institution Type
Public Community College
Carnegie Class
Associate's College
Enrollment
499
Setting
Town
Primary Strengths
Humanities, Health Professions, Business & Marketing, Education

Why students choose Ellsworth Community College

Influential alumni network
High cross-class social capital and reach
Strength in Humanities
Its most-awarded field of study

CollegeRanker Report Card

Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.

C
Top 46% overall
C
Earnings
$40,562 median
B-
Value
3.5× net price
B
Affordability
$11,451/yr net
D
Graduation
40% graduate
C
Diversity
0.56 index

Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.

How we grade →

Overview

Ellsworth Community College serves a tight-knit community with an enrollment of just 499 students. This intimate setting allows for personalized attention and strong relationships between students and faculty.

According to Chetty/Opportunity Insights data, specific mobility statistics for Ellsworth are not available, but the school’s graduation rate stands at 40%. This indicates that students may face challenges in completing their degrees, which can impact long-term earnings and career advancement.

The net price for attending Ellsworth is $11,451, making it an accessible option for many. Graduates earn a median income of $40,562 a decade after leaving, with a median debt of $10,000. The school attracts students interested in fields like Humanities, Health Professions, Business & Marketing, Education, and Psychology, where they can thrive in a supportive environment.

Rankings

Can I Get In?

How selective Ellsworth Community College is — and how your numbers stack up.

Tool

Will I Be Accepted?

Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.

3.0
Test Score
1050
21

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Ellsworth Community College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Based in Iowa Falls, Iowa, Ellsworth Community College enrolls students across a range of programs. The graduation rate is roughly 40%.

Retention Rate
64%
Full-Time Faculty
100%
Faculty Salary (mo)
$7,806
Student–Faculty Ratio
15:1
Diversity Index
0.56
First-Gen Students
32%

Can I Afford It?

What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Ellsworth Community College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Ellsworth Community College is $6,504, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $11,451. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $9,121 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $10,000 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition
$5,496
Out-of-State
$6,504
Avg Net Price
$11,451
Median Debt
$10,000
Pell Grant Rate
35%
Federal Loan Rate
36%

What Families Actually Pay

Family Income $0–$30K
$9,121
Family Income $30K–$48K
$8,203
Family Income $48K–$75K
$12,486
Family Income $110K+
$14,742

What Happens After?

Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Ellsworth Community College — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Compare schools in the full simulator →Sources: College Scorecard, Common Data Set, Opportunity Insights · today's dollars (CPI-adjusted) · descriptive, not predictive

Graduate Outcomes

Is Ellsworth Community College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Ellsworth Community College report median earnings of $40,562, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

6 Years After Entry
$31,739
8 Years
$37,530
10 Years
$40,562
Debt-to-Earnings
0.25x
Earning > $25K
50%

Earnings Trajectory

$31,739 6yr $37,530 8yr $40,562 10yr

Graduation by Timeframe

100% (66)
27%
100% (66)
27%
100% (66)
27%
100% (66)
27%

How Ellsworth Compares

Dot right of center = above national average.

NATIONAL AVGGraduation40%Earnings 10yr$41KNet Price$11KRetention64%Median Debt$10KPell Grant Rate35%

Net Price by Family Income

What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.

$9K$0-30K$8K$30-48K$12K$48-75K$15K$110K+

College ROI Calculator

Is Ellsworth Community College Worth It?

A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.

Yes — for most students, Ellsworth Community College delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $11,451/year ($45,804 total). Graduates earn $40,562 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $1,117,630 in total earnings — a net gain of $1,071,826 (24.4× your investment). The median debt is $10,000, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 40% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.

Total Cost (4yr)
$45,804
Projected 20yr Earnings
$1,117,630
Net Return
$1,071,826
ROI Multiple
24.4×
Cost Per Year
$11,451
Median Debt
$10,000
Debt Payback
Less than 1 yr
Graduation Rate
40%

Does It Change Lives?

Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Ellsworth Community College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Ellsworth Community College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.35, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.01), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 6% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness
1.35
Cross-class friendships
Friending Bias
0.01
Lower = more inclusive
Volunteering Rate
6.5%
Support Ratio
0.99
Community support

Research Note

267%
Low-income students at colleges in the top quartile of economic connectedness are 267% more likely to reach the top income quintile than peers at the least-connected schools.
Data from CollegeRanker’s review of 5,745 U.S. colleges (n=1,503). Quartile comparison of mean bottom-quintile success rate, split by economic connectedness (Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas × Mobility Report Card).

Top Programs

The fields Ellsworth Community College awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Hard to Get Into Ellsworth Community College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Based in Iowa Falls, Iowa, Ellsworth Community College enrolls students across a range of programs. The graduation rate is roughly 40%.

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Ellsworth Community College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Ellsworth Community College is $6,504, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $11,451. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $9,121 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $10,000 in federal student loans.

Is Ellsworth Community College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Ellsworth Community College report median earnings of $40,562, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

How Connected Is Ellsworth Community College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Ellsworth Community College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.35, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.01), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 6% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Similar Schools

Schools with similar outcomes, selectivity, and student profiles to Ellsworth Community College.

The State of American Higher Education Outcomes for 2026 — report cover Download PDF

The 2026 Annual Report

The State of American Higher Education Outcomes

Every state graded on what graduates earn, how far they climb, and what college really costs — the hidden geography of economic mobility, in one report.

Free · 21 pages · 5,745 institutions · 100% federal data, no surveys